"Talk low, talk slow, and don't talk too much." - John Wayne, Advice on acting

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Baltics trip
Day 10 - 25th May - Kuressare, Estonia (Part 1)

We reached Tallinn at 4:15am, when it was already quite bright. Since the terminal opened at 6am we were shivering in the cold (even though I found a windbreak) until nw.t found a casino. He disappeared inside to buy drinks, which was still okay, but he spent 15 Kr of bus money on shots. "Luckily", there was no 5:45am bus, so we changed money in the terminal before taking the 7:45 one.

We'd had an extra day, so we decided to venture out to Kuressare, on the island of Saaremaa - the largest Estonian island. Our bus had to mount on a ferry from Virtsu to Muhu to travel there.


Crossing the straits. Notice the Estonian commitment to alternative (wind) energy

Very bizarre ad we saw on the ship:


"Stripclub 24h
Aspasia
- Showgirls
- Sauna
- Massage
- Billiards
- Private and oriental show"

Considering that the island had 39,000 inhabitants and the town of Kuressare 15,000, it wasn't clear how there were enough customers to sustain a 24 hour strip club.


Pub. 1664 building which used to be the weights house.


Tourist information - in a 1670 building

We tried changing more money, but the rates were really shitty so we changed just enough till we got to Tallinn.


"Probably the best rate in the world" - Bullshit. Just look at their spreads. On the upside, they accept pre-Euro European money.


Sex sells bad rates

Unfortunately, with the exception of the castle, all the good attractions in Saaremaa like the Kaali craters (some of the most accessible meteorite craters in the world), seal habitats and beaches needed a car, but then we arrived there around noon anyway, so.


Perrier shrub

We checked into our hotel which was actually a hospitality school (they had a hostel next door too, but it was only open from late June). This being part of New Europe, the lift was American style, with the floors going from 1-3 (and not G-2 or 0-2).

In the room, I nursed the huge blister I had gotten on my toe ever since the Curonian Spit.

After a short rest we set out again.


19th century Lutheran Church.


Monument to counter-revolutionaries freedom fighters

There was a promising-sounding 18th century Orthodox Church. Unfortunately it was under heavy restoration:




Faded Fresco (?)

We then made our way to the 14th century Bishop's castle, probably the best in the Baltics (and certainly the best we saw).


Path


Moat


Ekesparre Residents Hotel. A place for rich folks to stay.


Entrance. I liked the fact that it was through a wall of turf.




Tunnel


Keep


Cannon Tower. 15-16th century.

There was a weapons exhibition inside:


Russian 89-mm mine thrower, 1916-7. This was interesting because I thought the shock of impact would spoil or trigger the mine.


The hotel


Side of the turf wall facing the keep


Bridge


Hotel




Sloping wall


Ducks




Facial piercings on women in the Baltics are more common than in the rest of the world I've been to.

"Time is that quality of nature which keeps events from happening all at once. Lately it doesn't seem to be working." - Anonymous

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Japan trip
Day 10 - 15th June - Kongobuji; Koyasan (Part 2)

Signs asked us not to take pictures of or sketch the sliding doors. The first I can understand, but the second was silly.

Given how remote this temple is, I'm surprised that it can be the HQ of such a major sect of Japanese Buddhism. Presumably in the past not much central direction was needed.


Various items of theirs (you should see 5 pictures)


Zen garden

Banryutei Rock Garden

"This rock garden was completed in 1984 to commemorate the 1150th memorial anniversary of Kobo Daishi's ascent into eternal meditation. With an area of 2,340 square meters, this is the largest rock garden in Japan. The design of this garden is of a pair of dragons emerging from a sea of clouds to protect the Okuden. The dragons are made of 140 granite rocks from the island of Shikoku, the birthplace of Kobo Daishi. The white sand is from Kyoto, another place that was significant in Kobo Daishi's life."


Fan dance by old women. I suspect it's not meant to be done by old women, but they have no one else both willing and able to do it.






These were probably pictures of places Shingon Buddhism had penetrated


More stuff


"千字文"

Wikipedia: "The Thousand Character Classic (千字文) is a Chinese poem used as a primer for teaching Chinese characters to children. It contains exactly one thousand unique characters. It is said that Emperor Wu of the Liang Dynasty (r. 502-549) made Zhou Xingsi (周興嗣) compose this poem for his prince to practice calligraphy. The original title of the poem was 《次韻王羲之書千字》 and it is sung in the same way in which children learning Latin alphabet writing do with the "alphabet song"."


Monks praying


Rock garden again. The rocks are supposed to look like monks listening to a sermon.

There was also a tea service:


Instead of learning how to dance with fans the young women serve tea. I don't blame them, really. Or the management - you need to allocate scarce resources to their best uses.


Tea service


Zen garden and walkway




The mausoleum of Bishop Shinzen


Monks falling in. One of them is REALLY tall.


Drain/canal